Brooke Pedersen has been a three-sport varsity athlete for three years at West Ottawa and knows what makes her successful each season.
“I try to do my best in everything I do,” she said.
It's a very simple mantra, but as the youngest in a family of three older brothers, she took it to heart from an early age.
She had to do everything in her power to get a turn in the backyard or driveway. That carried over into her career as well, where she achieved her success in volleyball, basketball, and soccer.
Her best sport is soccer, and as a central defender, she is the last line of defense in front of the goalkeeper, which stimulates her full spirit.
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“When you know that there's only the goalkeeper behind you, you think about things differently. I'm a rather cautious player and I'm not going to interfere with someone if they're not going to get there.” Pedersen said. “But that means I'm giving my all in one-on-one situations. The idea of wanting that more than anyone is how I get rebounds and how I do it on the football field. It’s all about how you beat faster forwards.”
Part of that is her extremely high sports IQ. As a volleyball hitter, basketball's elite rebounder, and soccer defender, she always uses angles to approach the ball.
And she does it better than most athletes and her teammates as well.
“It's a relief to have her back. We call her our secret weapon. Even if the other team leaves, we know she can handle it. I have complete confidence in her,” fellow senior Jillian Garcia said. “She's got some drive and determination there. She seems like a very sweet girl, but she's got some thunder.”
This allows goalkeeper Rogen McLean to focus on other aspects of his opponent.
“She's a blessing. She's very communicative and really limits things. All the 'D's in front of me are great,” McLean said. “I have tremendous confidence in them.”
And it transforms into a wall that is difficult to pass.
“I'm not a one-man wall. But last year I moved to center back and it looked completely different for me. We play a three-back system. It was definitely a big change. But I rose to the challenge,'' Pedersen said. “Coach said he felt like this position was created for me. Last year I was able to figure it out, but this year I'm more confident and have a little more leadership there.” can make it, right.”
She demonstrated her leadership in all three sports and embraced different roles on each team. In volleyball, she was not only an important offensive hitter, but also a blocker. In basketball, she is an elite rebounder and defender, and translating to soccer, she is one of Western Michigan's top defenders.
Every season, Pedersen learns something that he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
“I think I play a different role on every team,” she said. “It's made me more versatile and able to wear different roles. It's helped me grow as a person overall.”
Contact Sports Editor Dan.D'Addona at Dan.D'Addona@hollandsentinel.com.Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDaddona or facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
